G-Mac looks to sharpen up for big Fota finish

Graeme McDowell headed for Europe last night determined to turn a corner with his driving and putting as he targets a Ryder Cup spot.

McDowell left Pinehurst bound for the Irish Open — via an early look at British Open venue Royal Liverpool tomorrow — in typically upbeat mood after a closing level-par 70 at the US Open that gave the 34-year-old from Portrush a seven-over finish in the Major championship he won back in 2010.

That gave the Irishman bookends of 68 and 70 but it was the middle portion, rounds of 74 and 75 that had threatened to grind McDowell down.

“I take the positives away from where my game is at, the iron play, the general overall game, going forward into a busy summer,” McDowell said, although there was a “but” coming.

“Driver and putter, especially these past two weeks have been my killers for me. They are my strengths, hitting fairways and holing putts, and I am not hitting fairways right now and the putter, this week, was really putting too much pressure on the putter.

“Couldn’t get the ball within four feet half the time and you are long-distance putting all the time, leaving yourself six feet, 10 feet all the time. It kind of wore me out in the end.

“Friday and Saturday were difficult days but nice to finish on a good note, the last 27 holes I started to dig deep and put some dollars on the board and some [Ryder Cup] points on the board. I have got to keep playing hard this summer.

“Looking forward to getting there [to Ireland],” he added, “get a chance to see Hoylake as well. Fota is where I made my Irish Open debut [in 2002], so good memories, good thoughts. And a [British] Open Championship announcement from Portrush [on Monday), there are going to be good vibes.”

McDowell exited the US Open just as his Ryder Cup team-mate Martin Kaymer was closing in on a fourth European victory in five years at the second Major of the season. McDowell had ended a 40-year drought for Europeans at the event stretching back to Tony Jacklin in 1970 and he was followed by Rory McIlroy in 2011 and then Justin Rose of England 12 months ago.

Kaymer, who had beaten McIlroy’s US Open-record 36-hole total by one stroke with his back-to-back 65s here, was poised to land the second Major of his career last night having won the 2010 US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Starting the day with a five-shot lead over Americans Erik Compton and Rickie Fowler, whose third-round 67s had been the only sub-par rounds of a gruelling Saturday, Germany’s Kaymer stretched his lead to six strokes with a birdie at the par-four third to move to nine under par for the tournament as the leaders got their final rounds under way in North Carolina.

Compton, contending just six years after a second heart transplant he underwent agead 28, made his first birdie of the day at the par-five fifth hole, having parred his first four holes, to move to four under and close Kaymer’s lead back to five but it was only momentarily, the Miami golfer bogeying par-four seventh.

Fowler, playing alongside Kaymer in his trademark all-orange attire for a final round, was making less of an impact where it counted, his approach shot at the par-four fourth coming to rest behind a greenside pine tree, from where he double-bogeyed. The rebound was swift, though, as Fowler birdied the par-five fifth to get back to two under alongside Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson, the quartet closest to Kaymer failing to make an inroad into the deficit, all of them with bogeys on their cards over the front nine.

Of the chasing pack, only American Keegan Bradley made a concerted run but from too far back in the field to concern the German. Kaymer’s successor as PGA champion in 2011, Bradley carded a three-under 67 for his closing round to get him to one over par.

Defending champion Rose was inching towards a top-10 finish, one under for his round after 10 holes, even-par for the tournament.

Reigning British Open champion Phil Mickelson, whose second place behind Rose at Merion in 2013 was his sixth runner-up finish at the US Open, will have to wait at least another year in his attempt to win a career grand slam. Mickelson had failed to improve on his opening level-par 70 and finished with a second consecutive 72 to bow out on seven over par.

McIlroy’s week was ending in frustrating fashion as he was continuing to fail to convert excellent play from tee to green into birdies. The BMW PGA champion had gone into the final round tied for 58th in putting and continued to struggle last night with a two-birdie, two-bogey front nine leading into a double-bogey six at the par-four 12th that dropped him to five over par

McIlroy will leave here looking to make immediate amends on Fota’s greens.